Padre Cocha

On Wednesday, we took a boat ride up the Amazon to a small town called Padre Cocha. We spend the morning at the clinic, and went to a butterfly farm in the afternoon. As far as neighborhoods go around here, this one is very nice and well kept. There is a central square surrounded by several shops, the school, and a large soccer field. Off of this area are several sidewalks (that serve as roads) which lead to the residential areas. The clinic lies beyond that. The clinic was set up like the others we had seen, consultation rooms, a pharmacy, and a single ER room. When we arrived around 9:00, the waiting room was empty and one of the nurses went out to spread the word that we had arrived. I asked the doctor why it mattered whether we were there or not – we were only there to observe, and it’s not like they normally lack staff – and she said it was because we bring supplies. The clinic is supposed to get a shipment of supplies from the government every month, but that rarely happens. They often go two and even three months without getting a shipment which means they run out of the basics. This was one of those times; it had been two months since they had received supplies and were completely out of basics such as Tylenol. The people know that when foreigners come they bring supplies, and they all show up to received some much needed medical attention.

The worst thing about this is that many of the people who showed up that day could have been helped without the supplies we brought. Many people have parasites or infections that require antibiotics, or UTI’s which need only lessons on basic personal hygiene to prevent. The doctors have so much to offer but the town doesn’t understand that it can be done without medicine. (this is not to say that the supplies wasn’t appreciated, they were in desperate need of Tylenol, ibuprofen, antifungal creams, alcohol, etc…)

After we finished at the clinic we went back out to the central square to eat lunch. School for the younger children happened to be ending at the same time, so of course they all came to see the group of gringos. Frank had brought a soccer ball, and the guys played a game with the little boys, omg the kids were having the time of their lives. When we got ready to leave for the Butterfly farm, we left the ball with the kids and started walking away. They were calling to us, confused as to why we left it there. Frank explained to them that it was a gift for them to keep and they exploded with joy. It’s nice, but also very sad to see that they live such that a soccer ball is all it takes to make them happy. If I had known what type of conditions the people here lived in before I came, I would have brought an extra bag full of just toys, vitamins, and supplies for them. It doesn’t cost us very much but it sure means the world to them.

The woman who runs the butterfly farm also uses her land to shelter and rehabilitate animals that were rescued from illegal trading. She has several monkeys (four of which are allowed to roam free which means I got some fantastic pictures), anteaters, lemurs, turtles, ocelots, parrots, a jaguar, etc... The animals are all beautiful wild creatures, which unfortunately must now live in cages. It reminds me that while monkeys may seem like awesome pets, they aren’t meant to be caged. The woman also had a rescues anaconda at her facility. It was only a year old, so it was only about 4-5 feet long. I started talking to her about snakes, and how much I loved them. One thing lead to another and next thing I know she’s letting me hold her! I got to hold an anaconda!!! It was amazing; the snake is such an elegant and misunderstood animal, and it was remarkable that I got the chance to interact with one. (pictures will follow soon, I didn’t get any on my camera… was a little busy… but everyone else has plenty.)